Pugwash Conference Pres. Warns of Global Nuclear Test Chain Reaction

Tokyo, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)–Hussain Al-Shahristani, president of the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, expressed concern at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday about U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to resume nuclear tests. Al-Shahristani said Trump’s move could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear tests by other countries, describing it as a “very unwise decision.” The Pugwash Conference is an international forum in which scientists from around the world gather to discuss the abolition of nuclear weapons. The 63rd conference was held in the western Japan city of Hiroshima, concluding on Wednesday. “All the other major nuclear powers will immediately resume” if the United States restarts testing, he said. “Opening the door for nuclear tests will benefit others more than the U.S.,” he added, apparently referring to nuclear weapons development by Russia and China. On Oct. 30, Trump announced on social media that he had ordered the U.S. Department of Defense to launch a nuclear test, believed to be a subcritical experiment that does not involve a nuclear explosion. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered preparations for a full-scale nuclear test. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]